More than 6.6 million pounds (2,994 metric tons – MT) of shrimp were landed in the Gulf of Mexico in December 2017, up slightly compared to a year previously but significantly lower that the December catches of 2015 (8.5 million pounds – 3,856 MT) and 2014 (8.8 million pounds – 3,992 MT). Nevertheless, December’s catch increase reverses the declining trend seen in the previous three months.
For 2017 as a whole, Gulf Coast fishermen landed 100.4 million pounds (45,541 MT) of shrimp, which was up on the 93.9 million pounds (42,592 MT) recorded in 2016, but short of the totals achieved in 2015, 2014 and 2013.
According to the latest data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, ex-vessel prices for most shrimp sizes in both the Western and Northern Gulf decreased in December. There was insufficient dealers’ reporting in the Eastern Gulf.
The average ex-vessel price per pound of UN/15 sized headless shrimp in the month was USD 8.62 (EUR 6.94) in the Northern Gulf and USD 9.27 (EUR 7.46) in the Western Gulf. For 26/30 sizes, prices stood at USD 3.37 (EUR 2.71) per pound in the Northern Gulf and USD 4.20 (EUR 3.38) in the Western Gulf. For 41/50s, the prices were USD 2.28 (EUR 1.84) in the Northern Gulf and USD 2.87 (EUR 2.31) in the Western Gulf.
NOAA’s data also finds that the United States imported more than 1.3 billion pounds (589,670 MT) of shrimp in the first 11 months of this year – the highest level for five years. The main imported shrimp formats during this period were peeled (755.2 million pounds – 342,553 MT), shell-on headless (477.7 million pounds – 216,681 MT) and breaded (96 million pounds – 43,545 MT).
The per capita consumption of shrimp in the United States currently stands at 4.1 pounds (1.9 kg), making it the country’s most popular seafood product ahead of salmon (2.2 pounds – 998g) and canned tuna (2.1 pounds – 953g).
